Move over NASA, here's ESA

Just in case NASA's $16 billion plus, everything and the kitchen sink, approach to space exploration wasn't enough then find some links here to their poorer cousins at ESA, who struggle from year to year with the world's second largest space budget of more or less €3 billion (up to $5 billion, around abouts with today's strong euro). But you might want to watch this Ariane 5 video first...

Here ESA announces its new Cosmic Vision missions

Click on this to watch a video about the European built International Space Station Node 2 module, called Harmony, that will be launched on space Shuttle Discovery on 23 October

The agency's Columbus laboratory module has had its hatch closed signalling completion of all interior preparations before its expected launch by NASA Space Shuttle in December

There is a clutch of images here of Columbus being prepared

Doublestar, the Chinese, ESA joint spacecraft burnt up in the atmosphere when it re-entered on 14 October

Check out the agency's long term exploration programme Aurora here

Get all the latest here on ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle ISS re-supply spacecraft. This video will show you what it does

ATV is unmanned but find out about ESA's European astronaut corps here. This video shows ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang preparing for his ISS mission

Click here to watch a ESA video about the ISS

And check out this cool video of a walking robot

Learn about ESA's future launcher programme here

In fact for ALL the futuristic stuff go here

ESA astronauts on Mars? That's what this video shows....

ESA's efforts to find Earth's beyond our solar system can be viewed here